Banchory-Devenick School

Aberdeenshire Council is consulting on a proposal to permanently close Banchory-Devenick School. The consultation period will run from 28 September 2026 to 4 December 2026.

The Council proposes to permanently discontinue education at Banchory-Devenick School, which is currently non-operational, and to reassign its catchment area to either Hillside School or Lairhillock School.

If Lairhillock School is selected as the preferred option for primary education, there are two options for the secondary catchment area:

• The area would remain within the Portlethen Cluster, with secondary education provided at Portlethen Academy; or
• The area would be rezoned to the Stonehaven Cluster, with secondary education provided at Mackie Academy.

This consultation is being undertaken in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010.  The Act requires proposed changes to the school estate, including the closure of a school, to be subject to a rigorous statutory consultation process.

Following the consultation period, all comments received through the consultation process, together with any written submissions and emails relating to the proposal, will be analysed and considered before a final decision is made.

Public Meeting

A public meeting to discuss the proposal will be held at Portlethen Academy on Thursday 29 October 2026 at 6.30 pm.

Have your Say

We would like to hear your views on the proposed closure of Banchory-Devenick School and the options being considered for the future catchment arrangements.

Further information on each option can be found in the consultation document and accompanying survey.   

A copy of the consultation proposal document is available at: http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/school-info/education-consultations/

Please follow this link to view additional policy documents on our Engage Learning Estates Hub Page: https://engage.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/hub-page/ecs-learning-estates

This survey will remain open until 4pm on Friday 4 December 2026.

In December 2025, a routine boiler inspection at Banchory Devenick School found significant deterioration in two flues that cannot be permanently repaired.  A temporary repair was completed to keep the school operational while Education and Children’s Services and Property and Facilities Management assessed longer-term options.

On 5 March 2026, meetings were held with staff and parents/carers to explain the situation and the temporary relocation arrangements.  Following discussions with families, all pupils have been supported to enrol at a school of their choice.

An update was presented to the Education and Children’s Services Committee on 26 March 2026.  The Committee agreed to commence a statutory consultation on the closure of Banchory-Devenick School.

It is important to ensure all other alternatives have been identified and robustly considered prior to undertaking any statutory consultation on this matter. Therefore, we would like to give you an opportunity to provide any further alternatives to closure and would be grateful if you could please complete this short survey indicating your views on the future of Banchory-Devenick School.  This will allow officers to explore all viable options for the school. 

A drop in session with officers from the Learning Estates Team will be held at Portlethen Library on Thursday 14 May from 3.15pm - 6.30pm.  

This survey will be open until Friday 29 May 2026 and any alternatives to closure should also be submitted to Aberdeenshire Council by this date. 

Map - Banchory-Devenick School Catchment Area, Neighbouring School Catchment Areas and Lairhillock School Catchment Area

You can view additional policy documents on our Engage Learning Estates Hub at the following link: https://engage.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/hub-page/ecs-learning-estates